DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Abstract) The Training Program at the University of California, San Diego is committed to the task of preparing talented investigators in research fields relevant to hypertension and the diseases associated with this malady. The goal of this Hypertension Program is to train committed investigators for a research career and prepare them for their first decade of academic research. This is a competitive continuation application which brings together a variety of well funded and talented investigators utilizing a variety of research disciplines. We are proposing a modes increase in trainees to four predoctoral and four postdoctoral trainees for a total of eight positions. All trainees receive an intensive experience in basic research coupled to participation in didactic courses and seminar series. Training is offered in several disciplines with ten individual investigative groups. These groups have demonstrated significant collaboration in the past and are funded by three Program/Project grants relevant to hypertension research. Training is specifically offered in several disciplines including cell biology, molecular biology, immunology, genomics, biochemistry, and physiology. Predoctoral trainees are derived primarily from the highly successful Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program and Molecular Pathology Graduate Program at UCSD. Postdoctoral trainees are selected from an ample pool of well-qualified applicants. Recruitment of new, experienced and well funded training program faculty have strengthened the program and increased the degree of investigator interaction and collaboration. Additional research funding and new research buildings on the UCSD campus also improve the likelihood of productivity within this research environment. Dr. Ronald C. Blantz will continue as Program Director supported by Dr. Morton Printz, Co-Director.